Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Ran (re-release)

EMAILPRINTWinstar Cinema

Ran (re-release) reviews
90
8.7 User Score:

Movie Info

Genre(s): War

Written by: Masato Ide
Akira Kurosawa
Hideo Oguni
William Shakespeare (play King Lear)

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Release Date:
Theatrical: August 18, 2000
DVD: April 15, 2003

Running Time: 160 minutes, Color

Origin: Japan / France

Language(s): Japanese (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: R

Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, and Daisuke Ryu

Re-released for its fifteenth anniversary, Ran is Kurosawa's meditation on Shakespeare's "King Lear" crossed with the history of Japan's 16th-century Civil Wars and the legend of Mori, a feudal warlord with three good sons. (WinStar Cinema)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan

The triumphant masterpiece of Akira Kurosawa's fertile twilight.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

As close to perfect as filmmaking gets.

Read Full Review >
100

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

One of the 10 best films ever made, period.

Read Full Review >
100

San Francisco Examiner G. Allen Johnson

Kurosawa pulled out all the stops with Ran, his obsession with loyalty and his love of expressionistic film techniques allowed to roam freely.

100

TV Guide Frank Lovece

Stands separate from the rest, in a pantheon, a true cinematic masterwork of sight, sound, intelligence, and most importantly--passion.

Read Full Review >
100

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

The adaptation of "King Lear" to feudal Japan is an extraordinary spectacle.

100

Variety Staff (not credited)

A dazzlingly successful addition to his (Kurosawa's) distinguished career.

Read Full Review >
95

Mr. Showbiz F. X. Feeney

The Japanese title means chaos, and that is what is let loose when a powerful king foolishly tries to release the reins of power, in the hopes of enjoying a peaceful old age.

90

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

A stunning achievement in epic cinema.

Read Full Review >
80

Village Voice Amy Taubin

A magisterial film, but not quite a great one.

Read Full Review >
50

LA Weekly Chuck Stephens

Save for one startlingly staged battle sequence. . .might as well have been titled "Also Ran."

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mr. Hankey gave it a10:
Akira Kurosawa was a visionary his work was the best a japanese director has ever put out. Yes this is based on King Lear and is a genius copy as well. The sequences of violence show the different customs that japan had and also the conflict between the sons and the father was shown amazingly. The fact is you will never find a better japanese film besides Ran and Seven Samurai in your life and if you do you better post a review because I would like to know.

Dan C. gave it a 10:
Akira Kurosawa is a genius!

Pat C. gave it a 9:
It's hard to go wrong with King Lear, the perfect drama with all the elements of personal and political conflict. But the emphasis shifts to the spectacle of moving units of different color-themed troops about, overshadowing the laborously developed characters. In the "Seven Samurai" and "Hidden Fortress," Kurosawa didn't let the action overshadow the characters.

Yoon C. gave it a 9:
The first 50 minutes are among the greatest Kurosawa ever filmed. The battle scene that climaxes the story into the next stage is perhaps the most brilliant meshing of the epic beauty and the sheer horror of grand warfare. It's also a vision of cold war between Hidetora's two sons. Though ostensibly defeating Hidetora's men, they are clearly flexing their military muscles at one another. However, following this scene Hidetora becomes a zero, just a white face painted Noh abstraction slumped in self pity and the movie lacks a dramatic center. Still, the many intrigues among the powers-that-be for supreme power, vengeance, and personal vanity keep it moving forward and culminates in a grand finale.

David B. gave it a 10:
Chuck steven knows nothing about Kurosawa or what this man did. This is one of his greatest films behind the seven samurai. It is just that we are ignorant americans who would rather see trash than enjoy art.

Daniel Z. gave it a 10:
A later film by Akira, the film shows off his maturiuty and his true dedication to movie-making!! A master piece!!

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use